The San Antonio Spurs missed their superstar center Victor Wembanyama last night as they fell short 125-112 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although the Silver & Black had been riding high in recent weeks without the Frenchman, his absence was quite evident during their late fourth-quarter collapse. But why wasn’t he playing?

What is Victor Wembanyama’s injury? Nature of the injury

Well, the seven-foot-five big man has been dealing with a left calf strain since November 17th. He suffered this blow following the Spurs’ physical matchup in the NBA Cup against the Golden State Warriors, where Wembanyama put up a team-high 26 points with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. However, after that performance, he started to feel discomfort, which led to this injury.

“Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama will be sidelined for a few weeks due to a left calf strain,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday.

Since then, the 21-year-old has missed seven straight games, including Sunday’s loss against Minnesota. While the center underwent an MRI soon after, revealing that he will be re-evaluated in about 2-3 weeks, there has yet to be an update on his return.

Typically, a Grade 1 calf strain takes just a few days to a few weeks to recover. Meanwhile, Grade 2 and Grade 3 calf strains could take several months and even a year to heal completely, depending on the rehab. By the looks of it, Victor Wembanyama might’ve just suffered a Grade 1 strain, which should be a huge relief for San Antonio if true. However, the question now is, when will he return?

Victor Wembanyama Return: When can fans expect him back?

Nearly two weeks have passed since Victor Wembanyama’s injury first surfaced, yet there’s still no indication of his return. Shams Charania noted he would be re-evaluated after a couple of weeks, but that checkpoint has come without clarity. For now, the timeline remains uncertain, and the big man’s stay on the sidelines continues with no firm update.

Still, if all goes well for the French sensation in the rehab and he goes through all the medical tests, we could expect to see him back on the court either against the New Orleans Pelicans or the Los Angeles Lakers later this month. Nonetheless, while Wembanyama might return as soon as next week, he might not be at one hundred percent fitness.

So, there’s a high chance that the Spurs coaching and medical staff might put a cap on his minutes, at least for the first few games after his comeback. While that’s just speculation for now, it might actually turn out to be the truth, given how cautious the franchise’s management seems to be about the cornerstone of their team.

What Have Spurs Said About Victor Wembanyama’s Injury?

It’s no surprise that while Victor Wembanyama might be eager to return to the hardwood, the San Antonio Spurs have been quite eerie.

“Obviously, we’ve seen around this league recently, the calf-tightness thing is not something you want to take lightly,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Sunday. “Don’t want to push it there.”

It seems like the franchise doesn’t want to take any risks with its superstar player this early into the season. And if we’re being honest, it seems to be the right decision.

After all, they’re doing just fine without their center at the moment. The Spurs are 5-2 since Victor Wembanyama’s injury and, unexpectedly, are doing a great job of staying afloat until his return.

This is a developing story…